moving - put my truck INSIDE the UHAUL box truck?

I thought this was a smart plan - my wife said "ask on that forum what they think about it!". so here we go:
we're about to move, only 800 miles
since we're broke as F, I'm looking at ways to save money, and one I came up with was to put my 59 panel inside the 26' box truck. borrow some ramps, drive it in. put it in gear, park brake on, block the wheels. then just load our stuff in/under/on top.
wadday'allsay?

 

I wouldn't trust anything from U-haul.

 

Do it. Find a loading dock same height as the box and drive/roll the truck in. I have a loading dock here at my shop in San Marcos.

Why you leaving Lockhart?

 

i'd think ya would wanna anchor the truck down with more than just the parking brake. i think id get a couple large ratcheting tie downs


skull

 

doesn't seem like a great idea to me..

 

-it's actually Budget, but U-Haul is such a household name
-dock would be great! leaving Lockhart for Tuscaloosa, AL because my wife got diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis, not Mississippi, although she IS a Mississippi lady). we need some help from her family, it's too much. our son is one year old and I'm trying to make a living selling old car parts . you get the picture..
-no tie down hooks or anything like that in those trucks, except for slats on the side. I can pull those off between 2 fingers..

 

It's been done many times. An easier way would be rent the car dolly with it. Just be sure to say you'll be towing an old VW if they ask.

 

I wouldn't feel safe unless I could strap or chain the truck down. All it would take is a sudden stop or swerve and the truck will become a two ton projectile. The box of the U-Haul is only made of a light aluminum braces and fiber board, not enough to stop a two ton object traveling 60+ mph from going forward, backwards or sidewards.

Also, I am pretty sure U-Haul didn't have there trucks designed to haul vehicles inside and if something did happen you could be held liable for everything even if you did buy extra insurance coverage when you rented the truck. Do it the right way, rent a one way car trailer from them. It not worth the risk, IMO.

 

I'd flat tow it long before I did that. It would only take a couple of hours to weld up a decent tow bar and some tabs that would bolt to the front of the frame on the panel.
As the guys said, there is just too much risk of it breaking loose and tearing things up it being tied down.
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I've never seen a uhaul truck loaded with a 1957 Land Rover 107" wagon. If you know what I mean.

 

used one to move across Canada last year,had the car at the very back,a motorcycle,tools,engines etc. and house stuff,but my car is only 1900lbs.....I cant remember what we tied the front to but I know the back was tied down with a strap I had run under the roll up door and hooked to frame of the truck,the truck was a 28 foot unit and was almost new it worked very well

 

I know u-haul has car trailers that work pretty good as long as its not lowered too much, and they only cost like $50 a day.

I think that is a lot better than all the damage that will happen in the box. If you dont tie it down in the box it will move around some and wind up costing more in repairs than the rental on the trailer.

 

Seetz, I'm sure you've seen the U-Haul & Penske trucks running up & down in caravans with Trucks inside of them, hauling a truck behind them that is filled to the top with misc ****. All US Auction cars & **** going back to Mexico. I-35 corridor is full of em. If they can get away with it, so can you.

Most of the box truck floors are wood. Use some screws and some wood to make chocks for all the wheels. Make sure to use ratchet straps like you would a trailer as well. Some of the box truck have tie-down points on the floors for holding heavy loads. A 5,000lb panel truck ain't **** in the box of one of those big trucks, just make sure it's anchored down well and be on your way.

I can measure my dock height for you if you want to use it, but there should be a few in the Lockhart area as well. Either that or a healthy ditch that you can back the box truck into and get the panel inside. Same goes in Tuscalooasa, should be easy to drive around til you find the right unloading surface.

Let me know if you need help with anything, or if you want to leave the panel with me I can babysit it, haha.

 

let all the air out of the tires

 

I do it all the time with my 24' box truck, it's not a problem at all.
Here's what you need to know...

The car will move around. The parking brake will keep it from rolling forward and back, but it will move. If I'm going over 20 miles, or over some bad roads, I tie them down.

A cheap 4 pack of wratchet straps from china-freight will do the job.

For added stability, you can nail 2X4's down on the floor as wheel chocks. Also, pack all your clothes/blankets/pillows in hefty bags and pack them around the car. If it does move, they will keep the fenders from getting banged in. I have a big stack of moving blankets for this.

Duck-tape some heavy [garbage] blankets to the bumper, load your truck into the box first, and push it all the way forward so the bumper contacts the front wall.

Run the straps thru the tires/suspension, not thru the body or bumpers. Your truck will bounce up and down on it's suspension while going down the road, and it will bust the straps after a couple hundred miles.

Also remember that since it will be bouncing inside the box, dont pack hard stuff or boxes up against the body, they will rub and cause damage to something.

If I were moving you in my truck, I'd blanket the front bumper, and roll your truck in first. Strap it down, pack soft stuff in hefty bags around it, then load boxes/**** inside your truck, and then load all the hard stuff [dressers, boxes, etc] behind it. Your mattresses could go on top of your truck.

Hope some of that helps

 

I've had a couple locals that hauled vehicles in the back of semi trailers

they let the air out of the tires, cut 2x10's to about 2 feet long screwed the plank to the deck, then the wedge/block to the 2' plank and parked the vehicle on the plank and carried an air tank, to air up at the other end.

 

Completely dis***emble the truck to move it, then never put it back together.

 

If the truck is not tied down or otherwise secured it WILL "creep" all over the box even if the brake is set. it will stop creeping when something stops it, (when it hits something).

Even if it is WELL tied down, it will move a little side to side and front to back, and a lot up and down.

Unless it is SECURED, it WILL beat the **** out of anything you own that touches it.

If it is PAINTED, ANYTHING (even blankets) that touches the truck even a LITTLE will effectivly sand the paint off.

If it has a paintjob you care about even a little, nothing can touch the finish.

Anything put on top of the cab, hood, etc. will get the **** beat out of it, and it will beat the **** out of your truck.

I have moved lots of cars in trailers loaded with furniture, the key to doing it effectivly is by following the "no contact rule". I have NEVER taken the air out of the tires, because this means I would need to air them back up to get the vehicle out, +, the car will creep with flat tires anyway.

 

Bad idea. Get a tow dolly or a trailer. I'd like to think someone you know has one they would let you borrow.

 

Fairly sure if you read the fine print on the rental form that is a big NO NO and if something happens the insurance won't be good. Better off renting the trailer to tow behind the truck. Just read your second post Budget is a great company to rent from, great trucks unlike the u Haul stuff.

 

Sorry to hear about your wife.

Screw chocks or enough 2X4's to the floor for each tire front, rear, and side and you'll be OK... It will move around if you don't, and it happened to me with a 7000 Lb piece of equipment in a 26' Yellow Truck ;-) Oops!

As said before, loading docks are the best if you have access, or use a Rollback towtruck ($$$) in a pinch.

 

When we haul one on the open deck Johnny Law wants me to tie it down at all four corners, even if some are just there for looks. Have to think that's one reason why they say no vehicles in the trailer - no way to chain it down. U-haul will rent you a towbar that will work great on your truck for like $20, why not use that? At least they used to rent them, with most cars not having chrome steel bumpers now I don't know if there's any call for them much anymore.

 

You can also rent a car hauler trailer from most of the truck rental places to make life easier and pack all your **** in the truck.

 

If money's tight now, imagine what it'd be like if you screwed their truck up with yours...just sayin'.

 

thanks for all the input. took all pro's and cons, and we decided not to do it, main reason being the rubbing and bouncing. I need to put loads of NOS parts in that box truck, and they need to survive.
I was going to drill a few little holes in the floor and put some u-bolts through, then chains and rachet straps. wouldn't go anywhere. but I can't shut off my suspension, it will always bounce and rock.
thanks so much for all the wise and less-wise comments, it's great to have a second (or 20th) opinion

 

welcome to alabama, i hope everything works out for you and especially your wife. i think you made the right choise. best of luck my friend,be safe

 

I see them out on I-10 when they are heading your way - they are in groups of several vehicles most of the time. sidenote; a couple years back after the sun went down a semi going the speed limit came up behind on one traveling slow with no lights - bam - you can guess the mess on that one!

 

Wood blocks under the frame front and rear, pull it down against the blocks.

 

Ive done it. I rented a box truck with the lift gate option. I lifted the front with the lift gate and a cherry picker with a strap on the rear. I tied it down and chocked the tires. When I tied it the straps went to the floor on the front and out the door to the rear frame of the rental. Its not the best thing to do but worked. The truck I rented had tie downs in the floor.

 

go with the rent a trailer just, putting it inside sounds like bad news waiting to happen

ps: im ***uming that most of the people have done it, have hot rods and not anything 1947+